1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to the field of nets used in recreational sports, such as volleyball, tennis, and badminton. More specifically, the present invention discloses a recreational net in which the horizontal strands of the net are directly attached to the poles by a series of vertically-aligned loops formed by sewing the ends of each strand back upon themselves.
2. Statement of the Problem
A substantial number of different types of recreational nets are well known in the art. Volleyball nets are conventionally fashioned by permanently securing each set of lateral edges of the net mesh to a stretcher bar. The stretcher bars, in turn, are removably secured to the poles by cords or guy ropes. The stretcher bars add considerable weight and bulk to the net assembly and also substantially increase manufacturing costs.
The prior art contains several examples in which the lateral edges of various types of recreational nets are attached to a frame or pole by separate ties or laces in place of conventional stretcher bars, including the following:
______________________________________ Inventor Patent No. Issue Date ______________________________________ Bednarczuk 4,523,760 June l8, 1985 Steen 4,703,931 Nov. 3, 1987 Rushing, et al. 4,842,284 June 27, 1989 ______________________________________
The Rushing and Steen patents show different examples of sports nets in which the net is attached to a frame or pole by means of separate ties or laces. The advertisement on page 122 of the June 1976 issue of The Sporting Goods Dealer shows the same concept.
Bednarczuk discloses a net assembly in which the edges of the net are folded around the frame and back upon themselves to form loops. The loops are held in place by a separate lace 43 shown in FIG. 2 that is woven through the net mesh.
3. Solution to the Problem
None of the prior art references show a recreational net in which the lateral edges of the net are directly attached to the poles by a series of vertically-aligned loops formed by sewing the ends of the horizontal strands of the net back upon themselves. This construction completely eliminates the stretcher bars and shock cords commonly use to attach conventional volleyball nets to poles, and thereby provides substantial savings in term of weigh, manufacturing costs, and ease of assembly.